JP5850660B2 - Thin client server system, communication system, and screen information transmission method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a technique for displaying a screen using a thin client.

  In the technology for displaying a screen of a client device using a thin client, the thin client server receives operation information indicating an operation performed on the client device by a user, and responds to the operation indicated by the received operation information. A plurality of processes are repeatedly executed such that screen information is generated by executing the processes described above, and the generated screen information is transmitted to the client device. In such a technique, the screen display may be delayed with respect to the operation performed on the client device. The delay in the screen display may cause a user's erroneous operation in the client device or cause the user who views the screen display to feel uncomfortable. Patent Documents 1 to 3 disclose techniques for suppressing the influence of screen display delay in a system using a thin client.

JP 2011-28530 A JP 2008-211639 A JP 2008-210113 A

  By the way, the invention described in Patent Document 1 corrects the pointer coordinates in order to suppress erroneous button presses on the screen due to the delay of the screen display, but continues the delay of the screen display on the client device. It is not something to suppress. In the inventions described in Patent Literature 2 and Patent Literature 3, a series of reception of operation information, execution of processing according to an operation indicated by the operation information, generation of screen information, and transmission of screen information with a single thin client server. The image processing for dividing the screen information into a plurality of blocks is also executed.

In the inventions described in Patent Document 1 to Patent Document 3 described above, loads caused by various processes are concentrated on one thin client server. Therefore, it has been difficult for a single thin client server to perform parallel processing for causing a large number of client devices to display individual screens while suppressing delays in screen display.
On the other hand, the present invention is to realize load distribution of a thin client server so that delay of screen display in a client device can be suppressed.

In order to solve the above-described problem, a thin client server system of the present invention includes a first server device and a second server device, and the first server device displays an image corresponding to received screen information. A first receiving unit that receives operation information indicating an operation received by the first receiving unit, and a plurality of processes corresponding to the operation indicated by the operation information received by the first receiving unit are performed in parallel by an independent process for each client device a processing execution unit for executing a, for each of said plurality of processing, first transmits the processing information defining the processing for generating the screen information representing an image to be displayed after execution of the processing by the processing execution unit The second server device receives the processing information transmitted by the first transmission unit, and the second reception unit receives the processing information transmitted from the first transmission unit. Performs operations sequentially processed according to the processing information corresponding to each of the received plurality of processing, and the screen information generating unit that generates a pre-Symbol screen information, the screen information generated by said screen information generation unit wherein And a second transmission unit that transmits to the client device.

In the thin client server system of the present invention, the process execution unit may execute the plurality of processes on an operating system executed by a virtual machine .

In the thin client server system of the present invention, the generation of the screen information by the screen information generation unit and the transmission of the screen information by the second transmission unit may be performed without using a virtualization technique .

The thin client server system of the present invention includes a client management server that includes a plurality of the first server devices and relays data transmitted from the client devices to the first server device, and the client management server includes the client A first storage unit that stores a user ID that identifies a user of the device and a first server ID that identifies any one of the first server devices, and receives operation information transmitted by the client device The first server ID is stored in the first storage unit in association with the user ID of the client device that is the transmission source of the operation information received by the third reception unit. A third transmission unit that transmits the operation information to one server device, and the first reception unit transmits the operation information by the third transmission unit. Operation information may be received.
The thin client server system includes a plurality of the second server devices, and the client management server further relays data transmitted from the first server device to the second server device, and A second storage unit that associates and stores a second server ID that identifies any one of the second server devices, a fourth reception unit that receives the processing information transmitted by the first transmission unit, The process received by the fourth receiving unit to the second server device in which the second server ID is stored in the second storage unit in association with the user ID of the client device that is the transmission destination of the screen information You may have a 4th transmission part which transmits information .
In the thin client server system of the present invention, the processing execution unit, a process using the same type of processor and processor operating at the client device may be run. Further, in the thin client server system, the operating system may be operating system Tsu der operating in a processor in which the client device has.

  A communication system according to the present invention is a communication system including the thin client server system having any one of the above configurations and a client device, wherein the client device displays a communication unit that communicates with the thin client server system, and displays an image. A display unit that receives the operation performed on the device, a transmission control unit that transmits operation information indicating the operation received by the reception unit by the communication unit, and a control by the transmission control unit. When the screen information generated by the thin client server system based on the transmitted operation information and transmitted by the second transmission unit is received by the communication unit, the display unit according to the received screen information. And a display control unit for displaying an image.

The screen information transmission method of the present invention is a screen information transmission method of a thin client server system including a first server device and a second server device, and the first server device displays an image corresponding to the received screen information. A first receiving step for receiving operation information indicating an operation accepted by the client device to be displayed; and a plurality of processes according to the operation indicated by the operation information received by the first server device in the first receiving step . a process executing step of executing in parallel by a process independent for each of the client device, the first server device, for each of said plurality of processing, representing an image to be displayed after execution of the processing in said processing execution step A first transmission step of transmitting processing information defining a calculation process for generating screen information; and the second server device, A second receiving step of receiving the process information transmitted in the transmission step, the second server apparatus, the operation process in sequence in accordance with the processing information corresponding to each of the plurality of processing received by the second reception step A screen information generating step that executes the screen information, and a second transmission step in which the second server device transmits the screen information generated in the screen information generation step to the client device. And

  According to the present invention, it is possible to realize load distribution of a thin client server so that delay of screen display in a client device can be suppressed.

The figure which shows the whole structure of a communication system. The figure which shows the hardware constitutions of a 1st server apparatus. The figure which shows the hardware constitutions of a 2nd server apparatus. The figure which shows the hardware constitutions of a client management server. The figure which shows the data structure of a 1st management table. The figure which shows the data structure of a 2nd management table. The figure which shows the hardware constitutions of a client apparatus. The functional block diagram which shows the functional structure of a communication system. The figure which shows the software structure of a communication system. The sequence chart which shows the flow of a process of a communication system. Explanatory drawing which shows the mode of the update of a 1st management table and a 2nd management table. The sequence chart which shows the flow of a process of a communication system. The figure which shows the software structure of a communication system. The figure which shows the software structure of the conventional thin client server.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an overall configuration of the communication system 100.
The communication system 100 is a client-server system including a thin client server system 1 and a client device 40. In the communication system 100, a service for causing the client device 40 to perform screen display based on software resources and the like managed by the thin client server system 1 is provided. In detail, the thin client server system 1 includes a combination of a plurality of servers such as a first server device 10, a second server device 20, and a client management server 30. In the present embodiment, the thin client server system 1 does not particularly ask what kind of software resource the client apparatus 40 displays on the screen.

  FIG. 1 illustrates only the first server devices 10a and 10b of the first server device 10, and illustrates only the second server devices 20a and 20b of the second server device 20. There are many. In FIG. 1, only one client device 40 is shown, but there are more than the actual number. The client device 40 is communicably connected to the second server device 20 and the client management server 30 via the network NW. Here, the network NW is a communication network including a mobile communication network, a gateway, and the Internet. The client management server 30 is communicably connected to the first server device 10 and the second server device 20 via a dedicated communication path.

  The first server device 10 and the second server device 20 execute processing necessary for screen display on the client device 40, but execute different processing. The client management server 30 functions as a relay server that relays data among the client device 40, the first server device 10, and the second server device 20. The client device 40 is a smartphone serving as a mobile device here, and is owned by a user who has subscribed to receive service provision in the communication system 100.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of the first server device 10. As shown in FIG. 2, the first server device 10 includes a control unit 11, a communication unit 12, and a storage unit 13.
The control unit 11 is a microprocessor including a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), and a RAM (Random Access Memory). The CPU controls each unit of the first server device 10 by reading the program stored in the ROM or the storage unit 13 into the RAM and executing it. Here, the CPU is a processor created for the mobile device, and in short, is a processor that operates on the client device 40. The communication unit 12 is an interface for connecting to the network NW. The storage unit 13 includes a hard disk device, for example, and stores software including a host OS (Operating System) 131 and a guest OS 132. The host OS 131 is an OS that operates on the processor of the control unit 11 and serves as a basis for operating software on the virtual machine in the first server device 10. The guest OS 132 is an OS executed on the virtual machine when the virtual machine is operated in the first server device 10 by executing the host OS 131. Here, the guest OS 132 is an OS created for a mobile device, and also operates on the processor of the client device 40.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of the second server device 20. As shown in FIG. 3, the second server device 20 includes a control unit 21, a network communication unit 22, a server communication unit 23, a storage unit 24, and a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) 25.
The control unit 21 is a microprocessor including a CPU, a ROM, and a RAM. The CPU controls each unit of the second server device 20 by reading the program stored in the ROM or the storage unit 24 into the RAM and executing it. The network communication unit 22 is an interface for connecting to the network NW. The server communication unit 23 is an interface for connecting to the client management server 30. The storage unit 24 includes, for example, a hard disk device, and stores software including the OS 241. The OS 241 is an OS that serves as a basis for operating software on the second server device 20. The GPU 25 is a processor that performs arithmetic processing related to image processing, and governs image processing executed by the second server device 20.

4, the client management server 30 includes a control unit 31, a network communication unit 32, a first server communication unit 33, a second server communication unit 34, and a storage unit 35.
The control unit 31 is a microprocessor including a CPU, a ROM, and a RAM. The CPU controls each unit of the client management server 30 by reading the program stored in the ROM or the storage unit 35 into the RAM and executing it. The network communication unit 32 is an interface for connecting to the network NW. The first server communication unit 33 is an interface for connecting to the first server device 10. The second server communication unit 34 is an interface for connecting to the second server device 20.

The storage unit 35 includes, for example, a hard disk device, and stores a first management table 351 and a second management table 352 in addition to various software. The first management table 351 and the second management table 352 are referred to when the client management server 30 selects a data transfer destination. More specifically, the first management table 351 describes information for determining the first server device 10 as a data transfer destination. In the second management table 352, information for defining the second server device 20 as a data transfer destination is described.
In the first management table 351 and the second management table 352, data is described during service provision by the thin client server system 1, and data is not described during a period when the service is not provided. To do. The storage unit 35 that stores the first management table 351 corresponds to the first storage unit. The storage unit 35 that stores the second management table 352 corresponds to the second storage unit.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating the data structure of the first management table 351.
As shown in FIG. 5, the first management table 351 is a data table in which pieces of information indicated by “user ID”, “first server ID”, and “process ID” are associated with each other. The user ID is identification information for identifying the user of each client device 40, but here is also identification information for identifying each client device 40. The user ID of the present embodiment is a telephone number assigned to the client device 40. For example, terminal identification information specified from a SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) card or an identification number given exclusively to each user It may be. The first server ID is identification information for identifying each first server device 10. The process ID is identification information for identifying each process of processing executed independently for each client device 40.
In the present embodiment, the user ID of the client device 40 is “090aaaa0001”. The first server ID of the first server device 10a is “001”, and the first server ID of the first server device 10b is “002”. Each first server ID is also stored in advance in the corresponding first server device 10. Further, the first server ID can be substituted with a communication address such as an IP (Internet Protocol) address assigned to the first server device 10.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating the data structure of the second management table 352.
As illustrated in FIG. 6, the first management table 351 is a data table in which pieces of information indicated by “user ID” and “second server ID” are associated with each other. The user ID is the same as the user ID described in the first management table 351. The second server ID is identification information for identifying each second server device 20.
In the present embodiment, the second server ID of the second server device 20a is “00a”, and the second server ID of the second server device 20b is “00b”. The second server ID can be substituted by a communication address such as an IP address assigned to the second server device 20.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of the client device 40. As illustrated in FIG. 7, the client device 40 includes a control unit 41, a voice input / output unit 42, a wireless communication unit 43, a UI (User Interface) unit 44, and a storage unit 45.
The control unit 41 is a microprocessor including a CPU, a ROM, and a RAM. The CPU is a processor created for a mobile device, and for example, a CPU that is excellent in reducing power consumption is used. The CPU controls each unit of the client device 40 by reading the software stored in the ROM or the storage unit 45 into the RAM and executing the software. The voice input / output unit 42 includes a microphone that collects received voice and the like and a speaker that emits transmitted voice, and realizes functions related to voice input / output. The wireless communication unit 43 includes a wireless communication circuit and an antenna, and is an interface for connecting to the network NW by wireless communication. The UI unit 44 includes a display surface for displaying an image and a touch panel superimposed on the display surface, and provides a GUI (Graphical User Interface). That is, the UI unit 44 realizes a function as an operation unit that is operated by a user such as a touch panel and a display unit that notifies information by an image displayed on the display surface. The storage unit 45 includes, for example, an EEPROM (Electronically Erasable and Programmable ROM) and stores software including the OS 451. The OS 451 is an OS created for a mobile device, and here is the same operating system as the guest OS 132.
In the client device 40, the operation unit and the display unit may be configured by separate hardware devices. In addition to the above, the client device 40 has an acceleration sensor for receiving operations on the housing such as tilting or vibrating the client device 40 as hardware devices for receiving operations performed by the user. doing.

FIG. 8 is a functional block diagram showing a functional configuration of the communication system 100. First, the functional configuration of the client device 40 will be described.
The control unit 41 of the client device 40 realizes functions corresponding to the reception unit 411, the transmission control unit 412, and the display control unit 413 by executing a program.
The accepting unit 411 accepts an operation for the client device 40. In addition to the operations performed using the UI unit 44, the reception unit 411 includes operations performed on the casing of the client device 40 such as tilting or vibrating the client device 40, and the voice input / output unit 42. This includes operations performed by voice input. In short, the accepting unit 411 accepts any operation performed by the user on the client device 40.
The transmission control unit 412 transmits operation information indicating the operation received by the reception unit 411 by the wireless communication unit 43. Here, the transmission control unit 412 transmits operation information to the client management server 30. The operation information is information having a function for identifying an operation performed on the client device 40.
When the screen information generated by the thin client server system 1 based on the operation information transmitted under the control of the transmission control unit 412 is received by the wireless communication unit 43, the display control unit 413 displays the received screen information. In response, an image is displayed on the UI unit 44.
The functional configuration of the client device 40 has been described above. Next, functional configurations of the client management server 30 and the first server device 10 will be described.

The client management server 30 includes a third receiver 301, a first server selector 302, a third transmitter 303, a fourth receiver 304, a second server selector 305, and a fourth transmitter 306. Realize the corresponding function. The first server device 10 realizes functions corresponding to the first reception unit 101, the process execution unit 102, and the first transmission unit 103.
The third reception unit 301 receives operation information transmitted by the client device 40.
The first server selection unit 302 refers to the first management table 351 and selects the transmission destination (transfer destination) of the operation information received by the third reception unit 301. Specifically, the first server selection unit 302 associates the first server ID 10 with the first server ID stored in the first management table 351 in association with the user ID of the client apparatus 40 that is the transmission source of the operation information. Select.
The third transmission unit 303 transmits the operation information received by the third reception unit 301 to the first server device 10 selected by the first server selection unit 302.
Note that the third transmission unit 303 may transmit the process ID acquired from the first management table 351 by the first server selection unit 302.

The first reception unit 101 receives the operation information transmitted from the third transmission unit 303.
The process execution unit 102 executes a process according to the operation indicated by the operation information received by the first reception unit. Here, the process execution unit 102 executes a process (hereinafter referred to as “process process”) necessary for providing a service for causing the client device 40 to display a screen according to an operation indicated by the operation information.
The first transmission unit 103 transmits processing information for generating screen information representing an image displayed on the client device 40 after the processing by the processing execution unit 102 is executed. The processing information is data defining the arithmetic processing to be executed for generating the screen information, and describes the algorithm of the arithmetic processing.

The fourth reception unit 304 receives the processing information transmitted by the first transmission unit 103.
The second server selection unit 305 refers to the second management table 352 and selects the transmission destination (transfer destination) of the processing information received by the fourth reception unit 304. Specifically, the second server selection unit 305 associates the user ID of the client device 40 that is the process information transmission source with the second server ID stored in the second management table 352. Select.
The fourth transmission unit 306 transmits the processing information received by the fourth reception unit 304 to the second server device 20 selected by the second server selection unit 305.
The functional configurations of the client management server 30 and the first server device 10 have been described above. Next, the functional configuration of the second server device 20 will be described.

The second server device 20 realizes functions corresponding to the second reception unit 201, the screen information generation unit 202, and the second transmission unit 203.
The second reception unit 201 receives the processing information transmitted from the fourth transmission unit 306.
The screen information generation unit 202 performs arithmetic processing according to the processing information received by the second reception unit 201 and generates screen information. For example, the screen information generation unit 202 generates screen information by interpreting the processing information and executing arithmetic processing including image processing.
The second transmission unit 203 transmits (transfers) the screen information generated by the screen information generation unit 202 to the client device 40. The second transmission unit 203 transmits the screen information after performing compression processing and encoding processing on the screen information generated by the screen information generation unit 202. The screen information transmitted by the second transmission unit 203 is received by the wireless communication unit 43 of the client device 40.
The functional configuration of the second server device 20 has been described above. Next, the software configuration of the communication system 100 will be described.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a software configuration of the communication system 100. Specifically, FIG. 9 illustrates software configurations of the first server device 10, the second server device 20, and the client device 40.
First, the software configuration of the first server device 10 will be described.
The host OS 131 is basic software that provides basic functions in the first server device 10 and manages the entire first server device 10. The virtualization software 133 is software for operating on the host OS 131 and forming the virtual machine 134 on the first server device 10. A virtual machine refers to a computer environment that is virtually formed in a physically single computer device. A plurality of virtual machines 134 operate in parallel on the virtualization software 133 (four virtual machines 134 are shown in FIG. 9). Specifically, the virtual machine 134 operates a guest OS 132 that operates on the virtualization software 133 and a service process 135 that operates on the guest OS 132. Each virtual machine 134 executes process processing corresponding to one client device 40 by the service process 135. The service process 135 is software for supplying processing information that defines calculation processing necessary for generating screen information.
Furthermore, the host OS 131 is provided with a function of processing information IF (Interface) 131a. The processing information IF 131 a is a software interface for transferring the processing information supplied by the service process 135 to the second server device 20.
Next, the software configuration of the second server device 20 will be described.

The OS 241 is basic software that provides basic functions in the second server device 20 and manages the entire second server device 20. The screen information generation process 242 is software that implements a process that runs on the OS 241 and executes arithmetic processing according to the processing information. As shown in FIG. 9, the function of the GPUIF 241 a is mounted on the OS 241. The GPU IF 241a is a software interface for exchanging data with the GPU 25 when screen information is generated by the screen information generation process 242. The screen transfer process 243 is software that operates on the OS 241 and realizes a process of transferring the screen information generated by the screen information generation process 242 to the client device 40. The screen transfer process 243, for example, transfers the screen information supplied from the screen information generation process 242 after performing compression processing and encoding processing.
Next, the software configuration of the client device 40 will be described.

The OS 451 is basic software that provides basic functions in the client device 40 and manages the entire client device 40. The image viewer 452 is software for operating on the OS 451 and displaying an image corresponding to the screen information transferred from the second server device 20.
The above is the description of the software configuration of the communication system 100.

  As described above, in the thin client server system 1, the first server device 10 is responsible for processing of receiving main operation information, executing process processing according to the operation indicated by the operation information, and transmitting processing information. The server device 20 manages processing of generating screen information according to the processing information and transferring screen information. In this way, in the thin client server system 1, a part of the processing necessary for providing the service and the rest are executed on different servers. In this way, in the thin client server system 1, the processing load resulting from the provision of the service is distributed to a plurality of servers, but the knowledge that load distribution is efficiently realized by such a mechanism. The inventor got. The basis for this will be described in comparison with the software configuration of the conventional thin client server shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 14, in the conventional communication system, like the communication system 100, the virtualization software operates on the host OS, and the virtual machine that operates the guest OS and the service process operates on the virtualization software. Unlike the thin client server system 1, this service process includes processing for generating screen information in addition to processing corresponding to the operation indicated by the operation information. Further, in the conventional communication system, a screen transfer process operates on the host OS separately from the virtualization software. This screen transfer process realizes screen information compression processing and encoding processing, and further screen information transfer. In this way, the inventor obtained the knowledge that when the service process using the virtualization technology and the screen transfer process are realized on the same hardware, the concentration of the processing load of both these processes becomes a problem. It was. In response to such a problem, when both of these processes are realized by a single thin client server, it is impossible to separate hardware in each process. As a specific example, with virtualization technology, it is said that it is difficult to share a GPU among a plurality of virtual machines, and the screen information must be generated by the CPU of the thin client server, resulting in low processing efficiency. (In other words, the amount of calculation processing that can be executed with respect to the high processing load is reduced).
For the reasons described above, in the conventional communication system, it is difficult for one thin client server to provide a service to a large number of client devices.

  On the other hand, in the thin client server system 1, the service process and the screen transfer process are separated into the first server device 10 and the second server device 20 so as to be realized by different hardware. In other words, since a process with a relatively high processing load is not realized on the same hardware, the processing load can be effectively distributed. For example, the processing load for the first server device 10 to transfer processing information to the second server device 20 is sufficiently lower than the processing load for generating screen information and the processing load for transferring screen information.

  Further, by separating the first server device 10 and the second server device 20 in this way, hardware suitable for each of the service process and the screen transfer process is selected and implemented in the thin client server system 1. Easy to do. For example, in the first server device 10, process processing corresponding to the operation indicated by the operation information is executed, but it is not necessary to generate and transfer screen information. Thus, for example, a CPU is a processor created for a mobile device, and when a single thin client server performs all processing related to service provision, the processor for the mobile device is mounted on the thin client server. Is difficult. This makes it difficult to operate the OS for the mobile device on the thin client server, which may cause a reduction in processing efficiency. On the other hand, in the thin client server system 1, the first server device 10 is separated from the second server device 20, so that it is difficult to mount such a processor for a mobile device on the first server device 10. There is no. Therefore, it is possible to suppress a decrease in processing efficiency due to a difference in OS between the client device 40 and the thin client server system 1.

  Further, the second server device 20 does not use a virtualization technique and does not execute independent process processing for each client device 40. Therefore, for example, in the second server device 20, image processing related to one client device 40 can be executed while the GPU 25 is occupied. For the same reason as the first server device 10, it is also easy to apply hardware (processor) suitable for execution of image processing as the hardware of the second server device 20. Therefore, it is possible to suppress a decrease in processing efficiency due to a difference in processor between the client device 40 and the thin client server system 1.

The above is the explanation of the grounds that the load distribution mechanism in the thin client server system 1 can effectively achieve load distribution. If the number of server devices constituting the thin client server system 1 is three or more, the processing load imposed on each device is distributed. However, if the two server devices are separated on the basis of the above reason, sufficient load distribution effect is obtained. Therefore, according to the thin client server system 1, since the number of servers does not need to be increased, It also saves wear resources.
Next, the operation of the communication system 100 will be described.

FIG. 10 shows the flow of processing when service provision is started in the communication system 100. FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining how the first management table 351 and the second management table 352 are updated.
When the control unit 41 of the client device 40 receives an operation for designating the service used by the user through the UI unit 44, the control unit 41 starts the service by reading and executing necessary software from the storage unit 45 (step SA1). Starting the service means that the client device 40 enters an operation state for receiving the service. Therefore, the control unit 41 first transmits an activation instruction for instructing activation of the service to the client management server 30 by the wireless communication unit 43 (step SA2). This activation instruction is data indicating that the user of the client device 40 has performed an operation for starting activation of the service, and includes the user ID (here, “090aaaa0001”) of the transmission source client device 40.

  When the control unit 31 of the client management server 30 receives the activation instruction from the client device 40 through the network communication unit 32, the control unit 31 selects the first server device 10 used for providing the service (step SA3). For example, the control unit 31 may select the first server device 10 with the smallest number of client devices 40 currently in use, or may select the first server device 10 according to a predetermined selection order. The selection method is not particularly limited. Here, it is assumed that the control unit 31 selects the first server device 10a.

  By the way, in general, a thin client server holds user data individually managed for each user, such as authentication information necessary for user authentication and information used for executing an application program. The thin client server system 1 of the present embodiment includes a plurality of first server devices 10 that execute process processing. However, it is only necessary that user data is held by the following mechanism. For example, all the first server devices 10 included in the thin client server system 1 hold user data of all users in the storage unit 13. In addition, a management server that holds user data in a lump may be provided separately, and each first server device 10 may access this management server and acquire user data. Further, only the specific first server device 10 holds the user data in the storage unit 13 and all the first server devices 10 store location information for specifying the first server 10 holding the user data. The structure hold | maintained at the part 13 may be sufficient. In this case, when the first server device 10 that does not hold the user data of the user of the client device 40 is selected in the process of step SA3, the selected first server device 10 holds the user data based on the location information. What is necessary is just to specify the 1st server apparatus 10, access the identified 1st server apparatus 10, and acquire user data.

Returning to FIG.
Next, the control unit 31 updates the first management table 351 stored in the storage unit 35 (step SA4). Here, as shown in FIG. 11A, the control unit 31 includes the user ID “090aaaa0001” included in the activation instruction and the first server assigned to the first server device 10a selected in the process of step SA3. The ID “001” is associated and newly described in the first management table 351. However, the control unit 31 does not update the process ID here, and leaves the first management table 351 blank (indicated by “-” (hyphen) in FIG. 11).

  Next, the control unit 31 refers to the first management table 351 and transmits a service activation instruction to the first server device 10 selected in the process of step SA3 by the first server communication unit 33 (step SA5). ). Here, the control unit 31 transmits an activation instruction to the first server device 10a.

  When the control unit 11 of the first server device 10a receives the activation instruction by the communication unit 12, the control unit 11 activates the service according to the received activation instruction (step SA6). Here, starting the service means that the first server device 10a enters an operation state for providing the service. Therefore, the control unit 11 first assigns an unused process ID to the client device 40 that is the transmission source of the activation instruction, and reads and executes software necessary for providing the service from the storage unit 13. Thereby, in the first server device 10a, the software configuration as shown in FIG. 9 is realized in correspondence with the client device 40 that is the transmission source of the activation instruction.

Next, the control unit 11 transmits an activation response indicating completion of activation to the client management server 30 by the communication unit 12 (step SA7). The activation response includes the process ID assigned by the control unit 11 in step SA6.
When receiving the activation response from the first server communication unit 33, the control unit 31 of the client management server 30 updates the first management table 351 according to the received activation response (step SA8). Here, the control unit 31 describes the process ID included in the activation response in the first management table 351 in association with the user ID of the client device 40 that is the transmission source of the activation instruction. Here, as shown in FIG. 11B, the control unit 31 associates the process ID with the user ID “090aaaa0001” stored in the first management table 351 and the first server ID “001”. "0001" is newly described.

  Next, the control part 11 of the 1st server apparatus 10a performs the process process according to a starting instruction | indication (step SA9). Here, the control unit 11 executes a process corresponding to the operation indicated by the operation information performed by the user (the operation instructing activation of the service here) for the process indicated by the process ID “0001”. The process processing here includes, for example, processing for supplying processing information that defines calculation processing for generating screen information of an image to be displayed on the client device 40. Then, the control unit 11 sets the processing information, the set (here, “0001”) of the first server ID (here, “001”) and the process ID assigned to the own device, and the communication unit 12. To the client management server 30 (step SA10). When the transmission is completed, the control unit 11 can acquire a response indicating that the transmission is completed by the function of the processing information IF 131a.

  When the first server communication unit 33 receives the data set transmitted in step SA10, the control unit 31 of the client management server 30 becomes the transmission source of the activation instruction described in the first management table 351. The user ID of the client device 40 is referred to (step SA11). Here, the control unit 31 refers to the user ID “090aaaa0001” described in the first management table 351.

  Next, the control part 31 selects the 2nd server apparatus 20 used for provision of a service (step SA12). For example, the control unit 31 may select the second server device 20 with the smallest number of client devices 40 currently in use, or may select the second server device 20 according to a predetermined selection order. This selection method is not particularly limited. Here, it is assumed that the control unit 31 selects the second server device 20a.

  Next, the control unit 31 updates the second management table 352 stored in the storage unit 35 (step SA13). Here, as shown in FIG. 11C, the control unit 31 includes the user ID “090aaaa0001” included in the activation instruction and the second server device 20a selected in the process of step SA12. 1 server ID “00a” is newly associated with the second management table 352 in association with it.

  Next, the control unit 31 refers to the second management table 352 and sends a set of processing information and a user ID to the second server device 20 having the second server ID associated with the user ID. The data is transmitted by the two-server communication unit 34 (step SA14). Here, the control unit 31 causes the processing information and the user ID “090aaaa0001” to be transmitted to the second server device 20a.

When the server communication unit 23 receives the data set transmitted in the process of step SA14, the control unit 21 of the second server device 20a executes a calculation process indicated by the received process information and generates screen information (step S21). SA15). Here, the control unit 21 executes image processing (for example, rendering processing) using the GPU 25 as arithmetic processing indicated by the processing information, and generates image information in, for example, bitmap format.
The screen information may be data in a format that can be used by the client device 40 to display an image.

  Next, the control unit 21 performs compression processing and encoding processing on the screen information generated by the processing in step SA15 (step SA16). And the control part 21 transmits the screen information after a process to the client apparatus 40 by the network communication part 22 (step SA17). Here, the control unit 21 may transmit the screen information to the client device 40 identified by the user ID.

When the screen information is received by the wireless communication unit 43, the control unit 41 of the client device 40 performs a decoding process or an expansion process on the received screen information (step SA18). And the control part 41 displays the image according to screen information on the UI part 44 (step SA19).
The above is the description of the flow of processing in the communication system 100 when service provision is started. Next, the flow of processing during service provision in the communication system 100 will be described with reference to FIG.

FIG. 12 is a sequence diagram showing the flow of processing during service provision in the communication system 100.
When the operation performed by the user is received by the UI unit 44 or the like (step SB1), the control unit 41 of the client device 40 wirelessly sets a set of operation information indicating the received operation and the user ID of the user of the own device. It transmits to the client management server 30 by the communication part 43 (step SB2). Here, the control unit 41 transmits a set of operation information and a user ID “090aaaa0001”.

The control part 31 of the client management server 30 will select the 1st server apparatus 10, if the network communication part 32 receives the data set transmitted by the process of step SB2 (step SB3). The control unit 31 identifies the first server ID associated with the received user ID in the first management table 351, and selects the first server device 10 having the identified first server ID. Since the control unit 31 receives the user ID “090aaaa0001”, the control unit 31 selects the first server device 10a here.
Next, the control unit 31 selects the set of operation information and the process ID associated with the user ID in the first management table 351 by the first server communication unit 33 in the process of step SB3. It transmits to the apparatus 10 (step SB4). Here, the control unit 31 causes the set of the operation information and the process ID “0001” to be transmitted to the first server device 10a.

  When the communication unit 12 receives the data set transmitted in the process of step SB4, the control unit 11 of the first server device 10a executes a process process according to the information (step SB5). Specifically, the control unit 11 executes processing corresponding to the operation indicated by the operation information in the process identified by the process ID. Next, the control unit 11 defines processing information for defining calculation processing for generating screen information representing an image to be displayed after the execution of the processing in step SB5, and the first server ID of the own device (here, “001”). )) And a set of process IDs (here, “0001”) are transmitted to the client management server 30 by the communication unit 12 (step SB6).

  When the control unit 31 of the client management server 30 receives the data set transmitted in the process of step SB6 by the first server communication unit 33, the control unit 31 becomes the transmission source of the operation information described in the first management table 351. The user ID of the client device 40 is referred to (step SB7). Here, the control unit 31 refers to the user ID “090aaaa0001” in the first management table 351.

Next, the control part 31 selects the 2nd server apparatus 20 used for provision of a service (step SB8). Here, the control unit 31 specifies the second server ID associated with the received user ID in the second management table 352, and selects the second server device 20 having the specified second server ID. Here, the control unit 31 selects the second server device 20a.
Next, the control unit 31 refers to the second management table 352 and sends a set of processing information and a user ID to the second server device 20 having the second server ID associated with the user ID. 2 The server communication unit 34 transmits (step SB9). Here, the control part 31 transmits the set of process information and user ID addressed to the 2nd server apparatus 20a.

  When the server communication unit 23 receives the data set transmitted in the process of step SB9, the control unit 21 of the second server device 20a executes arithmetic processing according to the process information and generates screen information (step SB10). Next, the control unit 21 performs compression processing and encoding processing on the generated screen information (step SB11). And the control part 21 transmits the screen information after a process to the client apparatus 40 by the network communication part 22 (step SB12).

When receiving the screen information by the wireless communication unit 43, the control unit 41 of the client device 40 performs processing such as decoding processing and decompression processing on the received screen information (step SB13). And the control part 41 displays the image according to screen information on the UI part 44 (step SB14). Each processing step from the above steps SB9 to SB14 is executed by the same method as each processing step from steps SA14 to SA19 described above.
The above is the description of the processing flow after the start of service provision in the communication system 100. The above processing steps are executed each time the client device 40 receives an operation performed by the user. In addition, the client device 40 that receives the service is managed by the client management server 30 during the period of receiving the service via the same first server device 10 and the same second server device 20. I will give and receive.

  According to the embodiment described above, in the thin client server system 1, the first server device 10 that executes process processing and the second server device 20 that generates screen information and transfers screen information are separated. Therefore, the load distribution of the thin client server can be effectively realized. According to the communication system 100, each of the first server device 10 and the second server device 20 can design a facility suitable for the processing to be executed, and the client device by the cooperation of the plurality of actions described above. The processing for causing the multiple client devices 40 to display individual screens can be performed in parallel while suppressing delays in screen display at 40.

When a processor created for a general server is applied as a processor (CPU) of the first server device 10 instead of a processor that operates on the client device 40, an OS that operates on this processor is applied to the virtual machine. As a result, the above-described effects are equivalently achieved.
Therefore, in the thin client server system 1, it can be expected that the range of services that can be provided by process processing is wider than that of the thin client server having the conventional configuration, depending on the type of processor applied to the first server device 10.

Further, according to the communication system 100, the buffer function in the client device 40 is substantially unnecessary. Thus, even if an application program that converts the buffered data into a file is used, the screen information is not converted into a file, which is preferable from the viewpoint of protecting the copyrighted work.
Further, in the communication system 100, by installing hardware resources and software resources of higher quality than the client device 40 in the thin client server system 1, it is possible to provide the client device 40 with a high service while providing the client device 40 at low cost. Can be provided.

[Modification]
The present invention can be implemented in a form different from the above-described embodiment. The present invention can also be implemented in the following forms, for example. Further, the following modifications may be combined as appropriate.
[Modification 1]
In the above-described embodiment, the first server device 10 operates the virtual machine and executes the process processing for each client device 40. Instead of this, the first server device 10 may not use the virtualization technology.
FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of a software configuration of the communication system 100 when the virtualization technology is not used. FIG. 13A shows the software configuration of the communication system 100 of this modification, and FIG. 13B shows the software configuration of the conventional communication system.
As shown in FIG. 13A, the software configuration of this modification is not equivalent to the virtualization software 133 and the guest OS 132 from that shown in FIG. 9A, and each software operates on the OS. Equal to configuration. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 13B, in the software configuration of the conventional communication system, the process until the screen information is generated and the screen transfer process are realized in one server. Even in such a mechanism, the processing load related to the generation and transfer process of the screen information is high, which causes a delay in screen display. On the other hand, in the present modified example, in the thin client server system 1, the first server device 10 that executes process processing according to the operation indicated by the operation information, and the second server that generates screen information and transfers screen information The device 20 is separated. Therefore, the load distribution of the thin client server can be realized so that the delay of the screen display in the client device 40 can be suppressed by the same operation as the above-described embodiment.
The configuration in which the virtualization technology is not used for the first server device 10 as in the present modification can be applied when service processing is performed on an OS (server OS) that manages the entire first server device 10. Of course, also in this modification, as a processor of the 1st server apparatus 10, both the processor which operate | moves with the client apparatus 40, and the processor produced for the servers are applicable.
Note that, in the first server device 10, process processing using a virtual machine and process processing not using a virtual machine may be realized in parallel.

[Modification 2]
In the above-described embodiment, the client management server 30 continuously uses the second server device 20 selected in the process of step SA12 during the period in which the service is provided. Instead of this, the client management server 30 may not perform such continuous use. This is because the second server device 20 only needs to generate and transfer screen information according to the received processing information, and there is no need to manage processes for each client device 40. Therefore, the client management server 30 may select the second server device 20 every time the user performs an operation, such as selecting any one of the second server devices 20 when receiving the processing information.
Even this configuration has the same effects as those of the first embodiment described above. In this configuration, the second management table 352 is not necessary.

[Modification 3]
In the embodiment described above, the client management server 30 selects the first server device 10 in the process of step SA3 each time a service is provided. Instead, the relationship between each client device 40 and the first server device 10 may be determined in advance. With this configuration, the client management server 30 does not have to update the first management table 351 in the process of step SA4. Similarly, the client management server 30 selects the second server device 20 in the process of step SA12 every time a service is provided. Instead, the correspondence relationship between each client device 40 and the second server device 20 may be determined in advance. With this configuration, the client management server 30 does not have to update the second management table 352 in the process of step SA12.
In the embodiment described above, the first server device 10 transmits the activation response including the process ID to the client management server 30 in the process of step SA7. Instead of this, the first server device 10 may transmit a set of processing information and a process ID in the process of step SA10. In addition, the client management server 30 may realize the process corresponding to the client device 40 that is the transmission source of the start instruction by transmitting the process ID in the process of step SA5, or data specifying the content of the process to be realized May be sent.

[Modification 4]
In the embodiment described above, the thin client server system 1 is configured by the first server device 10, the second server device 20, and the client management server 30. However, the thin client server system 1 may be configured without the client management server 30. . In this case, the client device 40 transmits an activation instruction and operation information to any one of the first server devices 10. Then, the first server device 10 executes process processing according to the operation indicated by the operation information, and transmits processing information for generating screen information to the second server device 20. Then, the second server device 20 executes arithmetic processing defined by the processing information to generate screen information, and transmits the screen information to the client device 40 that is the transmission source of the activation instruction.
As described above, the thin client server system 1 is divided into the first server device that executes the process according to the operation indicated by the operation information and the second server device that generates the screen information and transfers the screen information. If it does, there exists an effect equivalent to the above-mentioned embodiment.
In the thin client server system 1, at least one first server device 10 and at least one second server device 20 are sufficient.

[Modification 5]
In the embodiment described above, the thin client server system 1 is separated into the first server device 10 and the second server device 20. According to the knowledge of the inventor described above, in the thin client server system 1, hardware resources that execute process processing and hardware resources that generate and transfer screen information only have to be separated. it is conceivable that. Therefore, if FIG. 8 is used, it can be said that at least the hardware resources constituting the processing execution unit 102 should be separated from the hardware resources constituting the screen information generation unit 202 and the second transmission unit 203. Here, the fact that the hardware resources are separated means, for example, that a common hardware device is not used in realizing the functional block.
In the communication system 100, the thin client server system 1 in which the first server device 10 and the second server device 20 described above are provided in the same housing may be configured.

[Modification 6]
In the above-described embodiment, the OS executed by the first server device 10 and the OS executed by the client device 40 may not be the same. In addition, the processor of the first server device 10 does not necessarily have to be created so as to operate on the client device 40, but is preferably a processor suitable for execution of process processing.
Further, the present invention does not necessarily require each process to be realized on the OS.
Further, although the GPU 25 functions as an image processing unit that controls image processing in the second server device 20, other processors may be used.

[Modification 7]
The client device 40 is not limited to a smartphone, and may be another client device such as a mobile phone terminal, a tablet terminal, a personal computer, a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), or may be a mobile device.
Each function realized by the control unit 41 of the first server device 10, the second server device 20, the client management server 30, and the client device 40 is realized by a combination of a plurality of programs or a plurality of hardware resources. It can be realized by collaboration.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Thin client server system 10, 10, 10a, 10b ... 1st server apparatus, 100 ... Communication system, 101 ... 1st receiving part, 102 ... Processing execution part, 103 ... 1st transmission part, 11 ... Control part, 12 ... Communication unit, 13 ... storage unit, 131 ... host OS, 131a ... processing information IF, 132 ... guest OS, 133 ... virtualization software, 134 ... service process, 135 ... virtual machine, 20, 20a, 20b ... second server device , 201 ... second receiving unit, 202 ... screen information generating unit, 203 ... second transmitting unit, 21 ... control unit, 22 ... network communication unit, 23 ... server communication unit, 24 ... storage unit, 241 ... OS, 241a ... GPUIF, 242 ... screen information generation process, 243 ... screen transfer process, 30 ... client management server, 301 ... third receiver, 302 ... first ,..., Third transmission unit, 304... Fourth reception unit, 305... Second server selection unit, 306... Fourth transmission unit, 31. Communication unit 34 ... second server communication unit 35 35 storage unit 131 first management table 132 second management table 40 client device 41 control unit 411 accepting unit 412 transmission control unit 413 ... Display control unit, 42 ... Voice input / output unit, 43 ... Wireless communication unit, 44 ... UI unit, 45 ... Storage unit, 451 ... OS

Claims (9)

A first server device and a second server device;
The first server device
A first receiving unit that receives operation information indicating an operation accepted by the client device that displays an image corresponding to the received screen information;
A process execution unit that executes a plurality of processes according to operations indicated by the operation information received by the first reception unit in parallel by independent processes for each of the client devices ;
Wherein for each of the plurality of processes, and a first transmission unit for transmitting the processed information defining the processing for generating the screen information representing an image to be displayed after execution of the processing by the processing execution unit,
The second server device is
A second receiver for receiving the processing information transmitted by the first transmitter;
A screen information generating unit that sequentially performs arithmetic processing according to the processing information corresponding to each of the plurality of processes received by the second receiving unit, and generates the screen information;
A thin client server system comprising: a second transmission unit configured to transmit the screen information generated by the screen information generation unit to the client device. The process execution unit
Thin client server system according to claim 1, characterized in that run on an operating system that is running in a virtual machine of the plurality of processing. Generation of the screen information by the screen information generation unit and transmission of the screen information by the second transmission unit are performed without using a virtualization technology.
The thin client server system according to claim 2. A plurality of the first server devices;
A client management server that relays data transmitted from the client device to the first server device;
The client management server
A first storage unit that stores a user ID that identifies a user of the client device and a first server ID that identifies any one of the first server devices;
A third receiver for receiving operation information transmitted by the client device;
In association with the user ID of the client device that is the transmission source of the operation information received by the third receiving unit, the first server device in which the first server ID is stored in the first storage unit, A third transmitter for transmitting operation information,
The thin client server system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the first receiving unit receives the operation information transmitted by the third transmitting unit. A plurality of the second server devices;
The client management server further relays data transmitted from the first server device to the second server device,
A second storage unit that stores the user ID and a second server ID that identifies any one of the second server devices;
A fourth receiver for receiving the processing information transmitted by the first transmitter;
The process received by the fourth receiving unit to the second server device in which the second server ID is stored in the second storage unit in association with the user ID of the client device that is the transmission destination of the screen information The thin client server system according to claim 4 , further comprising: a fourth transmission unit configured to transmit information. The process execution unit
The thin client server system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the processing is executed using a processor of the same type as a processor that operates in the client device. The thin client server system according to claim 2 , wherein the operating system is an operating system that operates on a processor included in the client device. A communication system comprising the thin client server system according to any one of claims 1 to 7 and a client device,
The client device is
A communication unit communicating with the thin client server system;
A display for displaying an image;
A reception unit that receives an operation performed on the device;
A transmission control unit that transmits operation information indicating an operation received by the reception unit by the communication unit;
When the screen information generated by the thin client server system and transmitted by the second transmission unit based on the operation information transmitted by the control of the transmission control unit is received by the communication unit, the received screen is displayed. A display control unit that displays an image on the display unit according to information. A screen information transmission method for a thin client server system comprising a first server device and a second server device,
A first receiving step in which the first server device receives operation information indicating an operation accepted by a client device that displays an image corresponding to the received screen information;
A process execution step in which the first server device executes a plurality of processes corresponding to operations indicated by the operation information received in the first reception step in parallel by independent processes for each of the client devices ;
The first server device, for each of said plurality of processing, first transmits the processing information defining the processing for generating the screen information representing an image to be displayed after execution of the processing in said processing execution step One transmission step;
A second receiving step in which the second server device receives the processing information transmitted in the first transmitting step;
A screen information generating step in which the second server device executes arithmetic processing in order according to the processing information corresponding to each of the plurality of processes received in the second receiving step, and generates the screen information;
The screen information transmission method, wherein the second server device includes a second transmission step of transmitting the screen information generated in the screen information generation step to the client device.

Images